Apparatus for and method of deckling paper



June 15, 1937. c. B. GRIFFIN 2,084,278

APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF DECKLING PAPER Filed March 25, 1936 W fig INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY:

Patented June 15, 1937 Nl'l'E STATES resets PAT E 'i is? i i Q Courtlandt B. Griflin, Longmeadow, Mass, as-

signor to Carew Massachusetts Manufacturing Company, South Hadley Falls, Mass,

a corporation of Application March 25, 1936, Serial No. 70,832

8 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in paper manufacture and is directed more particularly to improvements in the method of and apparatus for making paper having deckled edges.

The principal objects of the invention are directed to the provision of means of producing deckled-edge papers which are deckled on four sides so as to simulate hand-deckled paper. Although numerous and varied attempts have been made to produce deckled-edge paper, the results have not hitherto been altogether satisfactory and the cost of production has been high.

One way in which paper intended to simulate hand-deckled paper has been produced is by slitting the web being produced on a paper-making machine longitudinally in such a manner as to provide deckled edges on opposite sides. This is objectionable, however, since subsequently the web must be cut in order to produce deckle-d edges on the out side, it has been necessary to use a grinding or other cutting or abrasive tool.

Consequently the edge produced does not satisfactorily resemble hand-deckled paper.

According to this invention, deckled edges are provided by subjecting the edge of a stack of sheets to the action of water or the like under considerable pressure, the stack being clamped adjacent its edge in such a way that the water opens up and moistens the edges of the sheets.

Then. a stream or streams of air at high pressure is directed more or less angularly to the plane of the sheets so as to remove material along the edges of the sheets so that the appearance of a hand-made deckle is obtained.

The novel features of the invention may be accomplished in various ways, it being only necessary that the sheets be clamped so as to leave their edges free so that when water or other fluid is directec thereagainst, the desired result is achieved, and a nozzle or other means may serve for directing the water against the edges. Preferably. however, the stack is arranged to be relatively movable so that. fluid may be directed against all four edges of the sheets composing the same.

Various other novel features and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter more fully referred to in connection with the accompanying description of the preferred form of the inven tion, reference being had to the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational View of an apparatus adapted to carry out the novel method of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail fragmentary elevational View of a certain part of the apparatus to explain certain features thereof; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevational view to explain how a stack of sheets is clamped so that the edges of the sheets may be exposed.

Referring now to the drawing more in detail, the invention will be fully described.

A support 2 is provided which may resemble a table top and this may have legs or other supporting means such as 4 depending therefrom. A stack of sheets of paper is represented by S and so that the stack may be movable relative to the clamping means later to be described, there is preferably provided some kind of a movable stack support 6 to'facilitate this.

For purposes of illustration, the support a may have casters 8 for rolling on the surface of the table 2. Other means may, however, be employed if desired;.such as a rotating stack-supporting member or the like, or as will appear, the clamping apparatus and stack may be arranged to be stationary and other working parts of the apparatus may be moved relative thereto.

However, in the embodiment of the invention shown for clamping the stack of -eets, there is an anvil 10 on the top of the table 2 and this is adapted to support the sheets near their edges. A clamp bar I2 is movable up and down towards the anvil it and is adapted to bear on the stack so'that the sheets are clamped between the members Ill and I2 with adjacent marginal edges of the sheets projecting outwardly as shown in Fig. 1.

The clamping pressure may be obtained in various ways but in the form of the invention shown, a longitudinal member it extends between uprights 56 and a screw is threaded in the member 14 has its lower end rotatable in the bar I2. Manually engageable'means, such as a handwheel 20, is associated with the screw l8 and by rotating the hand-wheel in one direction or the other, the member l2 may be moved up and down or toward and away from the anvil it.

The upper clamping member 12 may, of course, be actuated in any manner desired, as by fluid pressure or the like, the form shown merely being to explain one way in which the stack of sheets may be clamped adjacent their edges for the deckling operation.

The deckling is accomplished by directing a fluid, preferably a moistening fluid such as water or the like, to the edges of the sheets. The fluid is under more or less pressure so that it penetrates and, to some extent at least, separates the sheets at their edges and then a volume of air or the like under high pressure is directed against the sheets at their edges in a direction opposed more or less to the plane of the sheets.

In the form of the invention shown, there is a carriage 24 which is reciprocable on a guide rod 26. The rod 26 may have its ends secured to the table or bed 2 by brackets such as 28 and "a bracket 30 provided on the slide 24 has a nozzle 36 therein which is arranged so as to direct water or other moistening fluid against the edges of the sheets as indicated.

There may, if desired, be a shield'such as 34 around the forward part of the nozzle 36 and. other protecting plates such as 36, shown in Fig. 1, may extend more or less vertically from the upper and lower sides of the stack for facilitating the moistening and separating of the sheets to the desired degree.

A bracket 38, which may be associated with the slide or carriage 24 has one or more nozzles, such as 40, associated therewith which is, or are, directed against the sheets, preferably at an angle to the plane thereof, as shown. In some cases, one nozzle will be sufiicient while in others it is desirable to employ one at the upper and one at the lower side of the stack.

The carriage 24 is, as stated, reciprocable on the guide rod 26 and the nozzle 36 is connected to a suitable means for supplying water or the like under more or less pressure. The nozzle or nozzles 40 are connected to means for supplying air or other fluid under pressure so that as the carriage or slide 24 is moved, water or the like may be directed against the edge of the sheets composing the stack through nozzle 36 and air or other fluid may be directed against the edges which have been moistened and more or less separated by the water. In this way, it will be seen, the pressure brought to bear against the moistened and/or separated edges of the sheets causes the parts of the sheets at the outside of the clamping means to be removed so that the deckle effect desired is produced. It will be obvious that the pressure of the separating or moistening fluid may vary Within wide limits. as may the pressure of the removing fluid so as to obtain various andvarying effects.

The free and exposed edges of the sheets of the stack may, of course, extend beyond the clamping means various distances and in this may be useful in varying the deckled effects. For instance, in Fig. 4, the edges of the sheets extend a relatively less distance beyond the clamping members l0 and I4 than in Fig. 1 and'this may be readily accomplished since the stack is, of course, movable relative to the clamping means when released from between the clamping members.

It may also be desirable that the nozzle. or nozzles 40 be adjustable to some extent so that the. axes thereof may assume various angles relative to the plane of the sheets of the' stack. This may be accomplished, as shown in Fig. 3, by a bracket 39 provided with a socketinto which the nozzle 40 fits and which is swingable onia clamp screw 4| associated with the bracket 38.

In the practise of the inventions, a'stack S is positioned so that the marginal ed'geportions of one side of the stack extend beyond the clamp the desired distance and then the upper'clamp is moved downwardly to securely clamp the stack adjacent its marginal edges.

States is:

1. The method of deckling the edges of sheets of paper which consists in, moistening the edges The carriage 24 is moved along the guide rod 26 with Water, or other moistening fluid being directed against the exposed, more or less free ends of the sheets of the stack to soften the stack and separate the edges to some extent. Simultaneously after the application of the water there is directed towards the moistened free edges of the sheets, either from above or below, or from both above and below, fluid under pressure in such a way that the portions of the sheets which have been acted upon are caused to separate from the remainder of the sheets so that the edges simulate hand-deckling. Then the upper clamp may be moved to non-clamping position so that the deckled edge of the stack may be removed and the parts changed around so to present another edge of the stack for the deckling operation.

It is desired to point out that the means for directing the water or the like onto the paper may take the same form as and be the same as the means for directing air pressure or the like onto the sheets. That is to say, the same nozzle that is used to direct the moistening fluid against the edges of the paper may be used to separate and remove the partsof the edge portions from the sheets, it only being necessary that the edgeportions of the clamped sheets be first weakened in some mannenas by moistening, and, then, by

some means, parts of the weakened and mois- 1 tened portions of the paper are caused to separate from the remainder-of the sheets.

It is also desired to point out that the operation may be carried out'without the moistening step. That is to say, if desired, the separating,

of portions of the clamped sheets may be brought about by air pressure alone. On theother hand,

also if -desired,'the removing ofparts of marginal edge portions of the sheets may be accomplished by directing water under pressure against the.

sheets without the use of air.

While I have described the invention in great since many changes and modifications may be;

made therein without-departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the Unite of a stack of sheets of paper along one face of the stack, and then directing a stream of fluid under pressure against said edges to remove parts thereof.

-2. The method of deckling the edges of sheets of paper which consists 'in, clamping a stack of sheets of paper adjacent an edge thereof to leave unclamped free edge portions along a face of the'stack, directing. liquid onto said edge portions to moisten the same, and then removing parts of said edge portions by directing fluid under pressure thereagainst.

3. The method of-deckling the edges of sheets of paper which consists in, clamping a stack of sheets of paper adjacent their edges so as to leave unclamped free edge portions along a face of the stack, moving a water-discharging means and said stack relative to one another in such a way so that said unclamped edge portions are of paper which consists in, directing water un-.

der pressure against the edges of a stack of sheets of paper along one face of the stack to moisten and separate the same, and then directing air under pressure onto the portions of the sheets immediately adjacent said edges at an angle to the plane of the sheets.

5. The method of deckling the edges of normally relatively pliable sheets of paper to simulate hand-made deckle-edge paper which consists in, clamping together a stack of sheets of paper in stack formation adjacent a face of the stack so that the body of the sheets adjacent said face are pressed tightly together leaving un clamped edges of the sheets movable relative to one another, and in removing parts of said sheets at their free edges by directing fluid under pressure against said edges to provide irregular edges to the said sheets.

6. The method of deckling the edges of normally relatively pliable sheets of paper to simulate hand-made deckle-edge paper which consists in, clamping together a plurality of sheets of paper in stack formation adjacent a face of the stack so that the body of the sheets adjacent said face are pressed tightly together leaving unclamped edges of the sheets movable relative to one another, and directing fluid under pressure from one nozzle against said edges to weaken the same and directing fluid under pressure from another nozzle against said weakened edges to remove parts thereof to provide irregular edges to the sheets.

'I. An apparatus for deckling the edges of sheets of paper comprising in combination, a support for a stack of sheets of paper, clamping means associated with said support for clamping a stack of sheets thereto so as to leave unclamped free edges of the sheets along an edge of a stack supported by said support, fluid-directing means adjacent said support arranged for movements relative thereto, and guiding means associated with said support and fluid-directing means whereby the directing means may traverse a face of a stack supported by said support.

8. An apparatus for deckling the edges of sheets of paper comprising in combination, a support for a stack of sheets of paper, clamping means associated with said support for clamping a stack of sheets thereto so as to leave unclamped free edges of the sheets along an edge of a stack supported by said support, a fluid-directing nozzle adjacent said support arranged to be movable relative thereto, guiding means associated with said support and nozzle whereby the latter may traverse a face of a stack supported by said support, another fluid-directing nozzle adjacent said support arranged to be movable relative thereto, and guiding means associated with said support and last-named nozzle whereby the latter may i traverse a face of a stack supported by said support.

COURTLANDT B. GRIFFIN. 

